Trophy Wife
by Artemis Day
Summary: By the time she's in her fifties, Haruhi Suoh no longer likes attending parties with her husband's work associates. TamaHaru.


**A/N: This took months to get down on proverbial paper. You do not even realize how glad I am that it's finally done. I thought of it and how you always hear about stuff like this happening with rich old guys, and it's something I know Tamaki would never do. It's a good excused for me to write Middle-Aged!TamaHaru fluff.**

**Don't look at me like that, that's an awesome kind of fluff and you fucking know it.**

**Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

By the time she was in her fifties, Haruhi Suoh no longer liked attending luncheons with her husband and his work associates.

Not that she enjoyed them at any point, what with Katsuragi-san insisting on telling the same unfunny jokes over and over again, and Azuki-san throwing explosive temper tantrums whenever he finds a stain on his silverware, and Yoshida-san's complete inability to chew with his mouth closed. No, those bi-annual meet ups had never _not_ been a thorn in Haruhi's side. Her first came two months after her and Tamaki's wedding, and all it took were ten minutes of stiff pleasantries and forced conversation for her to come to the conclusion that all three of them were completely insufferable. Years later, she couldn't even remember what they had said to give her so negative an impression of them so quickly. All she had to gone on was the bitter taste in her mouth whenever one of them crossed her mind, and that was enough for her.

Thank God she only had to see them twice a year.

But that alone wasn't the reason why these parties were becoming increasingly unbearable. Haruhi knew _that_ as soon as she and Tamaki arrived at the five star, European style restaurant and saw the three of them all huddled together at one of the larger tables. They were laughing about something- maybe Katsuragi-san had finally gotten some fresh material- and already appeared to have already ordered their drinks. Half full glasses of wine, champagne and water lined the round table.

And their wives were present.

This wasn't an uncommon occurrence. Since Haruhi always went along with Tamaki, there was no reason why the others shouldn't bright their spouses as well. That used to be the one saving grace of these luncheons. Haruhi had found that for all the ways the men infuriated her and made her want to pour ice water over their heads, their wives were far better company and, dare she say it, friends. In the days before the luncheons, Haruhi would comfort herself with the knowledge that they were going to be there. It wouldn't just be her and Tamaki alone with the men. She would discuss work-related business with Katsuragi Himeko ("He was obviously innocent and only plead guilty due to the badgering of his interrogators. I've done extensive research into this and I'm going to prove it"), receive boundless compliments on her choice in dress from Azuki Shino ("This color is perfect on you, Haruhi, really brings out your eyes and works well against your skin. I'd say you're the hottest girl here tonight, or is that too forward of me?"). trade stories of their children with Yoshida Yui ("And yesterday, Shiki walked all the way across the backyard all by herself! I wish I had my camera to film it, it was cutest thing I've ever seen.") They were like their own little group, the four of them. While Tamaki was bombarded with questions and teasing from his 'friends,' Haruhi would ignore them for as long as possible and focus only on those three intelligent ladies she honestly wished she could see more of. It was a shame they were all so busy with their families and careers. Haruhi might have been interested having a day out with just the four of them and no one else.

When one by one, the three of them disappeared from the luncheons, that old passing fancy turned to painful regret. It was always at it's worst once every six months.

"So," Haruhi said, the silence having gotten to her a long time ago. "Kaede, how've you been since we last met?"

Kaede, a twenty something woman with shiny black hair and a face full of make-up, glancing up from her nail filing and shrugged.

"Fine," she said with disinterest.

Katsuragi-san beside her wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close, kissing her on the temple for no discernable reason other than to prove that he could. What a lucky guy he was to have such a young and beautiful wife who loved him so much that she whole heartedly returned the flirty stares their waiter was giving her. Haruhi thought about bringing that up for a split second, but knew better in the end.

She instead turned to Marika. Heavily pregnant, the formerly model thin young woman was like a stick blowing a bubble. She ate whatever she could get her hands on, making strange combinations of pork and whipped cream and looking rather miserable all the while. Haruhi could only imagine the calorie content in all that.

"Oh I feel like such a pig," she said after her second bowl of noodles had been soundly devoured. "And this morning, I actually ate two scones at breakfast! I can't wait for this baby to be born."

Haruhi smiled at her. She couldn't help remembering her own pregnancies and the beautiful children they had resulted in.

"How far along are you, Marika-san?"

Marika blinked in confusion. "Along what? …Oh, you mean the baby! Right. Uh, eight months."

Haruhi's smile faltered, her lips twitching at the sides and she was almost thankful when Marika whirled back around to grab another piece of bread and some butter. It was a shame. Out of all three women, Marika was the most pleasant company, always happy to see everyone and never once did a rude word pass her lips. The girl was just a little on the slow side, and Haruhi couldn't recall a single conversation she'd ever had with her husband that didn't involve bored, two word answers on his end and oblivious giggles on hers, but at least she could give Azuki-san the heir he'd always wanted. Shino had been rendered infertile due to a serious medical condition some years into her marriage to Azuki. It was one of many reasons why she wasn't there anymore.

Haruhi scrunched her eyes shut, trying to will those thoughts away. It would only lead to more unnecessary memories rearing their ugly heads and making her even more desperate to get out of this stupidly fancy restaurant. What she wouldn't give for some 'Commoner' food right about now.

One the other side of the table, to Yoshida-san's left, a snide voice snorted contemptuously.

"Yeah, she's been packing it in for months now," the woman, voluptuous with curly black hair and almond shaped hazel eyes, smirked in Marika's direction. "Never getting that old body back. Poor, poor fatty."

Marika paid her no mind and went on eating. She probably didn't even realize that Haruka, Yoshida-san's third and most recent wife, had just insulted her. Haruhi, however, heard it all too well. She not-so-subtly glared at her, this twenty-five year old woman who thought herself so above it all because she'd married into wealth and had her face plastered all over the high end fashion magazines. Hikaru and Kaoru had brought her up once, they had very few nice things to say about her, and Haruhi didn't blame them.

When Haruka didn't respond to her harsh look, Haruhi turned to Marika and rested a comforting hand on her forearm.

"It's okay, Marika-san, eat as much as you want. You need to keep up your strength for both yours and the baby's sake."

Haruka, running a delicate finger around the rim of her wine glass, hummed softly under her breath. "And what happens after the baby is born and you keep pigging out, I wonder. How will you excuse those blubbery thighs then?"

Once again, Marika was blissfully ignorant to the snide comments, and again, Haruhi was not. She took a deep breath, flexing the fingers of her free hand as she took a long drink of champagne. Hopefully that would calm her down a bit, as long as Haruka didn't say anything too stupid. Knowing her, though, that was almost impossible. Haruhi was reassured of this when the woman eyed her.

"You're really packing it in there, huh Grandma?"

Haruhi lowered her head to swallow and put the now empty glass down.

"Excuse me?" she said.

Haruka snorted. "If you're trying to get drunk enough to get through this boring ass party, I don't blame you. I can't believe I cancelled my manicure for this."

"Now, now, Ka-chan," Yoshida wrapped a meaty arm around her, by comparison, bony shoulders. He applied no force to it, likely because his large, round belly wouldn't allow him to pull her very close, and bits of bacon and cheese slipped out of his mouth and onto his lapel as he spoke. "This is a special occasion! We all don't get to meet up like this very often."

"We do it to celebrate our good fortunes," Azuki-san said. "And I don't mean to brag, but I'd say this time, I am the most fortunate."

Marika looked at her husband, blinking in confusion. "Why's that sweetie?"

Azuki stilled for a moment, then laughed and patted Marika on the head. An odd gesture from a man to his wife, Haruhi thought. She'd seen Tamaki act similarly with Antoinette when she was alive, and then her puppies after her.

Speaking of which, Tamaki laid down his fork and cleared his throat. He'd been pretty quiet since their entrees arrived, only now reentering the conversation. Haruhi looked him in the eye, finding nothing but a pool of violet. It was one of those rare moments when he wasn't wearing his heart on his sleeve. If she remembered correctly, he'd been like this at a lot of the previous dinner parties too. She had often wondered about that, but never asked, her mind always drifting to other things before she could. Perhaps the time was coming where she'd have to just come out with it.

"If I might step in," Tamaki said with the utmost politeness. He even laced his fingers together in front of him. "I could not be happier to spend another evening in your company, my friend. You and your lovely wives."

Tamaki winked at the three women, making even Kaede blush and look away. It didn't seem to matter how old Tamaki got, his charm never faded even as he slowly aged the way his father before him had. Haruhi's lips quirked a little, almost forming a smile as she remembered all the times her work associates expressed jealousy of her for having such a man as her husband. She wondered how they'd feel if they knew him behind closed doors, what a handful he was.

Azuki chortled and, being the closest to Tamaki, patted him roughly on the shoulder.

"Come on, Suoh. Save it for your own wife," he said.

It might have sounded serious to anyone else, but Tamaki worked with these men. He was used to their teasing and knew how to differentiate. At least, Haruhi hoped he did.

"I meant no disrespect, but surely you can't blame me when there are so many pretty women around."

The all laughed as the three man took the hand of their respective wives. Kaede looked annoyed at having her filing hand taken away. Marika, who had been spacing out yet again, joined in the laughing while clearly not knowing why. Haruka cringed and pulled away as fast as she could. With Haruhi's hands on her lap, Tamaki had to settle for her upper arm, which he rubbed affectionately. His warm hand felt good against her bare skin. Haruhi didn't raise her head, but cast a glance at her husband to find him smiling down at her. It wasn't a flirty smile anymore either, but rather one he saved only for her, and that made her feel a bit better.

The waiter came by to refill their drinks. After another round of stolen smiles shared with Kaede (Haruhi couldn't help rolling her eyes), he finished up and headed for his next table. Katsuragi then raised his glass.

"I propose a toast," he said. "To us and to the future."

Everyone raised their glasses, though some were slower than others. Kaede didn't even bother picking hers up, too busy switching the file from one hand to the other. It was just her and Haruhi at one point with their glasses down. Haruhi stared one by one at them, noting the effects aging had had on these men she'd gotten so used to seeing as youthful. By contrast, their wives were physically all but flawless. They were all so young and beautiful with their whole lives ahead of them, surrounding by all these middle aged people they had nothing in common with.

Including their husbands.

Including her.

Haruhi flexed her fingers. The skin was becoming weathered, veins prominently showing. Only another decade or so and she'd have full on wrinkles, but that was the way of the world. Growing old, losing your luster, your strength. She thought about Himeko and Shino and Yui. They were probably in the same boat. Graying hair, age lines, tiring bones.

Just like their ex-husbands.

So much unlike their replacements.

Haruhi's eyes reached Tamaki last. He wasn't looking at her, he wasn't looking at anything. He eyes were closed tight and a relax smile graced his features. Haruhi couldn't help her lingering gaze. He was still so handsome even all these years later, so much younger in mind than in body. Meanwhile, Haruhi felt her age a little more every day. She'd never cared much for appearances and still didn't, but even she had to admit it was a tiny bit depressing. Tamaki never seemed to change at all. He could have gotten any one of his friends wives if he wanted to. He could have any woman he wanted with just a wave of his hand and a wink and a smile.

And that right there was the most unbearable thing about these luncheons. The one thing that hadn't stopped crossing Haruhi's mind since the divorces started.

Somehow, her hand found the wine glass, and she raised it high and clinked it to her husband's and the others.

"To the future," she whispered.

* * *

The ride home afterward started out quiet. Haruhi sat on her side of the limousine and Tamaki on his. He watched out the window as people and buildings went by in a rush of color. Humming an unfamiliar song under his breath, he seemed perfectly calm and unaffected by anything.

Of course he did, he had no reason to feel otherwise.

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

Haruhi almost jumped, his question taking her by surprise, but she'd had more than enough experience with Tamaki that nothing he did could really shock her. She canted her head in his direction and breathed deeply.

"It was fine," she said. "The food was good."

She knew immediately that she should've said something different. Talking about the food when that's clearly not what he was referring to? Haruhi almost couldn't look at him and the way his face faltered. He leaned back in his seat, a soft sigh on his lips.

"Listen, I know these get-togethers aren't that fun for you," he said, his fingers on the seat brushing against her own. "It's only twice a year."

Haruhi nodded and smiled, taking his hand in hers as a form of reassurance. "I know, and it's okay. Your friends are very nice, and their wives… they're all nice too."

Tamaki chuckled. "I'll admit, I enjoy their company the most at work. They're all highly dedicated board members. Ouran wouldn't be were it is today without them and the other members assisting me."

"I know. Wasn't Katsuragi-san the one who broke the tie vote in your favor of a revamped Host Club forming?"

"Yes he was," Tamaki said happily. "I'll never be able to repay him for that."

"Niether will most of the female students," Haruhi answered.

"Some male too, according to reports," Tamaki said, beaming. "Those boys do the Host Club proud."

Haruhi nodded, feeling much more at ease than she had only a few seconds ago. It was amazing how her husband could just say a few words to her about their old adventures as hosts and instantly make her feel better, no matter what bothersome thoughts were weighing on her mind.

That wasn't to say they were completely gone, though. Before Haruhi could stop herself, the words that had been caught in her throat finally found a way out.

"Kaede-san, Marika-san and Haruka-san all looked so beautiful tonight."

Tamaki looked at her, a tiny sound of confusion reverberating through him. Haruhi wouldn't meet his gaze, choosing to stare at the seat opposite her, and didn't know what he could be thinking until he spoke.

"I suppose they did," he said. "They always do from what I've been told."

Haruhi fidgeted uncomfortably, realizing only now that their hands were still entwined and she couldn't get any further away from him without raising questions. She heard Tamaki give another laugh, this one softer and warmer as he laced their fingers together.

"Honestly, I didn't notice them much." His voice sounded closer somehow. "I was too busy watching you all night."

Haruhi blinked. Feeling a smile coming on, she did everything in her power to keep it at bay, with only minimal success. She still didn't want to face Tamaki, and so he scooted over and snaked an arm around her waist, locking her at his side with no way out. She felt her face heat up. How could he still make her feel this way after 35 years of marriage? It shouldn't be. Should it?

"Tamaki, come on. You don't have to try and flatter me like when we were teenagers."

He shook his head. "It never worked on you anyway, and I meant that. There are plenty of women just like Katsuragi, Azuki and Yoshida's wives. They're all beautiful in many ways and I love getting to speak to them and know them, but whenever you walk into the room, Haruhi, you put them all to shame."

He kissed her hair and then her forehead. This action finally got Haruhi to look up, her eyes wobbling, though no tears would come. Tamaki leaned in for a third kiss, this time on the lips, and Haruhi returned it eagerly. They didn't break the embrace for some time, though their kiss went no deeper than that. It didn't need to, there would be time enough for that later. Right now, Haruhi was walking on air, all the negative thoughts and fears dashed away like they'd never even existed. Never should have existed.

Haruhi decided there was one good thing she could say about these luncheons.

They reminded her of what a lucky woman she was.


End file.
